Ziegfeld Follies

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The Ziegfeld Follies were a series of elaborate theatrical productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 through 1931.

Inspired by the Folies Bergères of Paris, the Ziegfeld Follies were conceived and mounted by Florenz Ziegfeld, reportedly at the suggestion of his then-wife, the entertainer Anna Held. The shows' producers were turn-of-the-century producing titans Klaw & Erlanger.

Contents 1 The Follies 2 Performers: Year-By-Year 2.1 1907 2.2 1908 2.3 1909 2.4 1910 2.5 1911 2.6 1912 2.7 1913 2.8 1914 2.9 1915 2.10 1916 2.11 1917 2.12 1918 2.13 1919 2.14 1920 2.15 1921 2.16 1922 2.17 1923 2.18 1924-25 2.19 1927 2.20 1931 2.21 1934 2.22 1936 2.23 1943 2.24 1956 2.25 1957 3 See Also 4 External links

The Follies were lavish revues, something between later Broadway shows and a more elaborate high class Vaudeville variety show. Many of the top entertainers of the era (including Eddie Cantor, Fanny Brice, Ann Pennington, Bert Williams, Will Rogers, Ruth Etting, Helen Morgan, Marilyn Miller, W.C. Fields, Ed Wynn, Nora Bayes, and others) appeared in the shows. The Ziegfeld Follies were also famous for many beautiful chorus girls commonly known as Ziegfeld girls (which, over the years, included many future stars such as Marilyn Miller, Marion Davies, Mae Murray, Paulette Goddard, Joan Blondell, Nita Naldi, Dorothy Mackaill, Eve Arden, Billie Dove, Gilda Gray, Barbara Stanwyck, and Louise Brooks. (Norma Shearer and Alice Faye were turned down by Ziegfeld for being "not up to standards".) The girls were usually decked in elaborate costumes by designers such as Erté, Lady Duff Gordon or Ali Ben Hagan, which became the talk of Broadway the following day.

After Ziegfeld's death, his widow Billie Burke authorized use of his name for Ziegfeld Follies in 1934 and 1936. The name was later used by other promoters in New York City, Philadelphia and again on Broadway, with less connection to the original Follies. These latter efforts failed miserably.

The 1936 Best Picture winner was The Great Ziegfeld, starring William Powell as the master showman. Co-starring Myrna Loy (as Ziegfeld's second wife Billie Burke), Luise Rainer (as Anna Held, which won her an Academy Award for Best Actress), and Frank Morgan (as a rival showman). Featuring numbers by Ray Bolger, Dennis Morgan, Virginia Bruce, and Harriet Hoctor, the film gave a glimpse into what the Follies were really like. The MGM blockbuster's show-stopper was "A Pretty Girl Is Like a Melody", which, by itself, cost more to produce than one of Ziegeld's whole shows.

There was also a 1946 feature motion picture entitled Ziegfeld Follies with Fred Astaire, Judy Garland, Lena Horne, William Powell, Gene Kelly, Fanny Brice, Red Skelton, Esther Williams, Cyd Charisse, Lucille Ball, Kathryn Grayson, and others performing songs and sketches similar to those from the original Follies.

[edit] The Follies

• Follies of 1907 at the Jardin de Paris
• Follies of 1908 at the Jardin de Paris
• Follies of 1909 at the Jardin de Paris
• Follies of 1910 at the Jardin de Paris
• Ziegfeld Follies of 1911 at the Jardin de Paris
• Ziegfeld Follies of 1912 at the Moulin Rouge
• Ziegfeld Follies of 1913 at the New Amsterdam Theatre
• Ziegfeld Follies of 1914 at the New Amsterdam Theatre
• Ziegfeld Follies of 1915 at the New Amsterdam Theatre
• Ziegfeld Follies of 1916 at the New Amsterdam Theatre
• Ziegfeld Follies of 1917 at the New Amsterdam Theatre
• Ziegfeld Follies of 1918 at the New Amsterdam Theatre
• Ziegfeld Follies of 1919 at the New Amsterdam Theatre
• Ziegfeld Follies of 1920 at the New Amsterdam Theatre
• Ziegfeld Follies of 1921 at the Globe Theatre
• Ziegfeld Follies of 1922 at the New Amsterdam Theatre
• Ziegfeld Follies of 1923 at the New Amsterdam Theatre
• Ziegfeld Follies of 1924 at the New Amsterdam Theatre
• Ziegfeld Follies of 1927 at the New Amsterdam Theatre
• Ziegfeld Follies of 1931 at the Ziegfeld Theatre
• Ziegfeld Follies of 1934 at the Winter Garden Theatre
• Ziegfeld Follies of 1936 at the Winter Garden Theatre
• Ziegfeld Follies of 1943 at the Winter Garden Theatre
• Ziegfeld Follies of 1957 at the Winter Garden Theatre

[edit] Performers: Year-By-Year

[edit] 1907

• Grace LaRue
• Emma Carus
• Harry Watson
• Helen Broderick
• Nora Bayes (joined cast at end of run)

[edit] 1908

• Nora Bayes
• Grace LaRue
• Mlle. Dazie
• Harry Watson

[edit] 1909

• Lillian Lorraine
• Bessie Clayton
• Sophie Tucker
• Nora Bayes
• Jack Norworth
• Eva Tanguay (joined cast in mid-run)

[edit] 1910

• Fanny Brice
• Bert Williams
• Lillian Lorraine
• Anna Held (in a filmed sequence)

[edit] 1911

• Fanny Brice
• Bert Williams
• The Dolly Sisters
• Lillian Lorraine
• Leon Errol
• Vera Maxwell
• Bessie McCoy

[edit] 1912

• Bert Williams
• Elizabeth Brice
• Leon Errol
• Ray Samuels
• Lillian Lorraine
• Harry Watson

[edit] 1913

• Leon Errol
• Frank Tinney
• Jose Collins
• Ann Pennington

[edit] 1914

• Ed Wynn
• Leon Errol
• Bert Williams
• Annette Kellerman
• Vera Maxwell
• Ann Pennington

[edit] 1915

• Leon Errol
• W.C. Fields
• Ann Pennington
• Ed Wynn
• Bert Williams
• Ina Claire
• Olive Thomas
• Justine Johnstone
• Mae Murray

[edit] 1916

• Bert Williams
• Fanny Brice
• W.C. Fields
• Ina Claire
• Will Rogers
• Ann Pennington

[edit] 1917

• Bert Williams
• Fanny Brice
• Eddie Cantor
• Will Rogers
• Dolores
• The Fairbanks Twins

[edit] 1918

• Eddie Cantor
• W.C. Fields
• Marilyn Miller
• Ann Pennington
• Lillian Lorraine
• Frank Carter
• Joe Frisco
• Bert Savoy
• Jay Brennan
• The Fairbanks Twins

[edit] 1919

• Marilyn Miller
• Eddie Cantor
• Bert Williams
• Eddie Dowling
• John Steel
• Johnny and Ray Dooley
• Van and Schenck
• The Fairbanks Twins

[edit] 1920

• Fanny Brice
• W.C. Fields
• Mary Eaton
• Jack Donahue
• Bernard Granville
• Charles Winninger
• Van and Schenck
• Ray Dooley
• Moran and Mack
• Art Hickman's Orchestra

[edit] 1921

• Fanny Brice
• W.C. Fields
• Raymond Hitchcock
• Van and Schenck

[edit] 1922

• Gallagher & Shean
• Jack Whiting
• Will Rogers
• Mary Eaton
• Olsen & Johnson
• Gilda Gray

[edit] 1923

• Fanny Brice
• Bert Wheeler
• James J. Corbett
• Ann Pennington
• Paul Whiteman

[edit] 1924-25

• Will Rogers
• Ann Pennington
• Frank Tinney
• Lupino Lane
• Ethel Shutta
• Vivienne Segal
• Ray Dooley (joined the cast later in run)
• W.C. Fields (joined the cast later in run)
• Louise Brooks
• Dorothy Wegman

[edit] 1927

• Eddie Cantor
• Cliff Edwards
• Ruth Etting
• The Brox Sisters
• Clair Luce
• Louise Brooks
• Dorothy Wegman

[edit] 1931

• Harry Richman
• Jack Pearl
• Ruth Etting
• Helen Morgan
• Hal LeRoy
• Mitzi Mayfair
• Albert Carroll
• John Bubbles

[edit] 1934

• Fanny Brice
• Jane Froman
• Buddy Ebsen (with sister Vilma)
• Eugene Howard
• Willie Howard

[edit] 1936

• Fanny Brice
• Bob Hope
• Josephine Baker
• The Nicholas Brothers
• Eve Arden
• Gertrude Niesen
• Gypsy Rose Lee (replacement)
• Bobby Clark (replacement)

[edit] 1943

• Milton Berle
• Arthur Treacher
• Ilona Massey
• Dean Murphy
• Jack Cole

[edit] 1956

• Tallulah Bankhead
• Carol Haney
• Bea Arthur
• Julie Newmar

[edit] 1957

• Beatrice Lillie
• Jane Morgan
• Billy DeWolf

[edit] See Also

• Ziegfeld Theatre
• Joseph Urban
• Encores!

[edit] External links

• Ziegfeld on Musicals101.com